Canada man faces 19 charges after arrest

WILLIAMSON — A Canada, Ky. resident was placed under arrest by Williamson Patrolman (WPD) J.L. Marcum and was arraigned on a total of 19 charges, including 2 felony counts and 17 misdemeanors.

According to the criminal complaint, Patrolman Marcum was on road patrol on W. 4th Avenue during the cold temperatures that swept through the Tug Valley area, with ice and snow covering the roadway. As the officer approached the U.S. 119 intersection, a Ford Ranger truck accelerated as it came toward the patrol car, and then the driver turned his headlights and taillights off. Marcum turned onto W. 3rd Ave. and activated his lights and sirens. The fleeing vehicle then turned onto Ben Street, which is a narrow, one-lane residential street. The driver drove back onto W. 4th Ave. in a hurried manner, ignoring oncoming traffic and a stop sign. The operator of the truck is then said to have traveled onto U.S. 119 into S. Williamson, Ky.

After performing a records check on the vehicle, Mingo County 911 dispatchers informed the officer that the license plate number belonged on a 1998 Pontiac vehicle, not a Ford Ranger. The driver exited off U.S. 119 and took the Aflex, Ky. exit. Patrolman Marcum pulled off the roadway to use his cell phone to request assistance, and observed the truck passing him heading back toward Williamson, and once again began a pursuit. At this time, Marcum was in the passing lane in the northbound lane of U.S. 119 when his cruiser was struck by the defendant as he cut in the direction of the officer in an attempt to do a U-Turn, causing substantial damage to the police vehicle. Both vehicles crossed the median and came to rest in the southbound lane of the 4-lane.

Marcum exited his cruiser and ordered the driver, James Eric Stanley, 35, from the vehicle, but he failed to comply and proceeded to put the truck into reverse and sped away, almost striking the officer. The chase continued until the driver’s side tire on the defendants truck began to go flat, and the rim could be seen making contact with the highway. Officer Marcum continued following the vehicle that was swerving back and forth on the highway and once again struck the police cruiser, forcing the patrolman off the road. Marcum then received assistance with the arrival of Mingo County Sheriff’s Dept. Cpl. C. Endicott and Deputies Fitch and Miller, Lt. G. Dotson with the WPD and Kentucky State Police Trooper Giles.

The officers followed the gouge marks in the roadway and the trail of tire debris onto Ky. Rt. 292 South, Turkey Creek Road, Rogers Park and Nosbin Fork Road, where they located the truck and the driver. Stanley was in the process of trying to talk a man into towing the disabled truck after almost driving it over the bank of a narrow one-lane road where the resident lived. Upon approaching Stanley, the officers detected a strong, alcoholic beverage odor on his breath and person. After placing the defendant under arrest, a search of the Ford Ranger yielded drug paraphernalia.

Stanley was charged with fleeing while DUI; 2 counts of failure to stop; driving on a suspended or revoked license; DUI; assault; destruction of property; crossing the median; unsafe vehicle on highway; obstructing an officer; improper registration; no registration; no proof of insurance; fleeing vehicle, reckless; failure to yield right of way; accident causing property damage; reckless driving; defective equipment and unsafe driving.

The defendant was arraigned before Mingo County Magistrate Dee Sidebottom and was remanded to jail on an $8,900 bond. Stanley appeared in court for his preliminary hearing but the case was continued until a later date, per the request of the defense attorney.

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